Removal of Asbestos Insulation Board from a Surbiton garage
By the 1970s we were beginning to outgrow our 1930s semi-detached properties and many people were building double height extension with integrated garage. Fast forward 50 years and our need for space has not diminished in fact in the last year our homes have become our new offices and places of work. This was the case when we received a call from a client in Berrylands who wanted to convert his garage into an office but found herself with an unforeseen problem…..An Asbestos Insulation Board (AIB) ceiling.
How to Convert a Berrylands Garage with an Asbestos Board Ceiling
The problem arises from the material that was used to insulate the garages at the time of the extension. The material of choice used in the 1950s through to the late 1970s was Asbestos Insulation Board or otherwise referred to as AIB. Asbestos Insulation Board was used in many integrated garages because it was cheap to produce but above all for its fire retardant, sound insulation properties and tensile strength. Asbestos Cement is also used in the same capacity as is commonly the case in houses in Esher and Hinchley Wood as well as in Tolworth.
Before Asbestos Insulation Board was removed
Surbiton Garage with Asbestos Ceiling
Asbestos Insulation Board in integrated garages is typically located on the ceiling between the garage and the floor of the room above, it is normally tacked into the wooden joists. Asbestos Insulation Board can also be found above doors (door header panels) that communicate the garage to the main house and for boxing pipework such as in a Tolworth House where we recently carried out Licensed Asbestos Removal works.
How can Key Asbestos help – Asbestos Survey of Surbiton House prior to Refurbishment
We were able to help our client two-fold. We carried out a full asbestos refurbishment & demolition survey of the house and in addition to the asbestos board to the garage ceiling we identified that the asbestos was also to be found above the ground floor ceiling to the untrained eye Asbestos Insulation Board looks very similar to plasterboard however our trained Asbestos surveyor carried out a survey of the entire house and also of the garage and identified the board in the garage to be AIB and to confirm that the majority of the house was free of asbestos prior to works and was safe for the family to use. Following this we were then able to make a recommendation for the safe removal of the asbestos board from the garage.
Removal of Asbestos in Berrylands Garage Ceiling
We continued dialogue with the client as they were concerned about how the works would be carried out to remove asbestos from the Berrylands garage. Removal and fine cleaning was carried out by the Licensed Removal team having set up a series of air-tight enclosures running air filtration. Once an independent UKAS analyst had certified it as safe having carried out a visual inspection and air testing our client was able to then use the garage and to continue with the conversion of the garage into a more useful room for them.
After Asbestos Insulation Board was removed
How to remove Asbestos Insulation board?
High risk asbestos materials such as asbestos insulating board found in this property must be removed by a licensed asbestos contractor. There are strict regulations that govern the removal of such materials which must be removed under fully licensed conditions. Before we could undertake this removal, a notification was submitted to the HSE in the form of an ASB5, with a minimum of 14 days prior to works commencing. We notified the HSE and then waited for 14 days before we could commence the work, our client did not have to worry about any of this paperwork as we took care of it all.
Licensed Asbestos Removal in Surrey – What is the method for safe Asbestos Removal
Once the minimum 14 days have lapsed then the process of removing the high risk asbestos material can commence. The first thing that needs to happen is a series of enclosures have to be built. These enclosures are built and then put under continues negative pressure to create a vacuum effect which will continuously draws air in during the removal process and eliminate the release of any fibres outside the enclosures. So on the day of removal and before any removal actually happened we put out carpentry skills to work and built negatively pressured enclosures.
Enclosure outside the property
During the actual removal, we impregnated the asbestos with fibre-suppressant solution to reduce the release of fibres while working with the asbestos insulation board. Once we removed all the AIB from the garage, we cleaned the area down thoroughly in readiness for an inspection by an independent UKAS accredited analyst. The analyst does not work for Key Asbestos, he is independent and therefore impartial. He then performed a visual inspection and carried out an air test of the garage in order to issue a certificate of re-occupation.
Once we were issued this certificate, only then did we remove all the enclosures. We then sent the certificate to the client as proof that the area was safe to enter and other trades could come in and continue the transformation.
We work in and around the Tolworth, Surbiton and all over Surrey. Give us a call on 020 8288 4460 or email us key@keyasbestos.co.uk if want to transform a garage or have any worries about asbestos in general. We are here to help with all your asbestos needs from surveying right up to its removal give Key Asbestos a call for a start to end professional and reliable service.
